


Some books shouldn't be open

by Kimtiny



Category: Don't Starve (Video Game)
Genre: ? - Freeform, Codex Umbra is important, M/M, Wilson got attacket, presence of Them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 09:05:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17895569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimtiny/pseuds/Kimtiny
Summary: Maxwell and Wilson share the work at the camp, but something bother Wilson. Codex Umbra. Let's met this sweet and soft book (irony) and how the two mess of man get together.





	Some books shouldn't be open

**Author's Note:**

> I tried

It’s been three or four months now that Maxwell arrived in Wilson’s camp. The scientist accepted his presence because he has a heart, not like somebodies.  
The first months was rough, Maxwell was weak and couldn’t hold an effort for to long, but he always played it like laziness or just the love of seeing Wilson do everything. They fought, a lot more than they both through they could. All their fights started by Maxwell’s offensive comment and finished by Maxwell shy apologies after one day separated from each other. It was their routine.  
After this adaptation mouth passed, things got smoother. Wilson and Maxwell were doing task together, eating together, sleeping close to the fire. They were rarely separated, even though there were still fights. But fights started to be games. Games when Maxwell or Wilson complain about the other, then they start throwing complain and mocking the other until they have nothing else to say.  
The first time that both of them had no inspiration to complain about the other, they glared at each other in silence and then laughed.  
Wilson started to feel friendlier with the ex-king, after all Maxwell was a victim of his own game now. He tried to do the maximum to help the scientist with the portal. But his way of doing was… odd.  
He had… this book. He was reading it all the time, he didn’t like to be bothered or observed when he was reading. But he liked to show it, his book.  
Maxwell seemed proud of his book. He was capable of cloning himself in shadow Maxwells, making a sword appear and, Wilson was sure of it, had all Constant’s knowledge in hand. Maxwell was sure proud to call this book ‘his’.  
Wilson didn’t know why. When Maxwell first showed his book proudly, telling him he had the knowledge to make the portal, Wilson was surprised. Not because of Maxwell’s behavior toward Wilson and his poor try… but because the pages he was showing proudly were blank.  
Wilson wanted to tell him, but Maxwell started enouncing all they needed. After all, they made the first portal together… So he said nothing.  
Wilson grew more and more curious about Maxwell’s book, why this odd looking? Who wrote it? Why can’t he see anything, but Maxwell apparently can? And why Maxwell was almost treating the book like a person?  
Yes! That too! Wilson caught Maxwell making a space in his bed roll for the book, he called it by a name ‘Codex Umbra’ or ‘Codex’. Wilson tried to talk with him about it and find answers to his many questions, but Maxwell was avoiding the subject like shadow to light.  
Wilson tried to take the book when Maxwell was laying it on the ground to eat, it never ended good. Maxwell was angry and stepped away every times.  
Wilson was sick of it, he deserved to know what the hell was wrong with all of it. He frowned every times Maxwell was talking about it, reading or even touching the book. Almost in a jealous way. Even Wilson started acting weird about a dawn book! 

Tonight, he wanted answers. He patiently waited until Maxwell was deep asleep to achieve his plan.  
He approached the sleeping man quietly. Maxwell was breathing gently, lips mid open and hair lazily falling on his bows. Wilson smiled liking how peaceful Maxwell looked, it almost gave him the will of resting next to him. But he had to concentrate, the book, where was it?  
Probably under Maxwell’s vest, he was used to see him take the book out of it. It meant he had to actually touch Maxwell’s torso and search for it…  
Wilson shallowed harshly, he used to touch Maxwell’s legs and arms to heal him. But never the torso, it was too much… personal? Anyway, he was sure Maxwell wouldn’t allow it. He gently set the magician’s arms on his side and slowly unbuttoned his vest. He opened Maxwell’s vest carefully and there it was.  
The book Maxwell named ‘Codex Umbra’ was resting against Maxwell’s belly side, Wilson blushed a bit feeling jealousy of all the body warm this stupid book had. He carefully took the book away from Maxwell, the taller man didn’t move. He stepped away quickly, he succeeded in his plan!  
He sat down by the fire and looked at the book’s cover. A ‘M’… Probably because of Maxwell. The cover was darker than the night itself, he never saw a light reflect on it, neither on the red M.  
He carefully opened the book. Blank pages, as he expected… Maybe only Maxwell was able to read it?  
Wilson waited an eternity, too long. And more he thought about this book, more he was angry. The thing that made him sicker was that Maxwell wouldn’t hesitate between the book and Wilson, it was the book. His book! Maxwell’s!  
Well, maybe Wilson wanted to be cared about sometimes too! Wilson wanted to stay close to Maxwell when night was cold for body warm. Wilson wanted Maxwell to give him nickname too, other than his stupid family name! He gave Maxwell a lot of nicknames, ‘Max’, ‘Maxie’, ‘Clone maker’, ‘Bastard’ went he was angry or playing. But he had none, and this fucking book had some!  
Maybe Wilson wanted Maxwell to look gentle at him, to pet him. He wanted to be at the place of this dawn stupid book!  
Wilson never felt angry like this before, but he wasn’t aware of it. He set the book down his lap and ripped one of the pages. The fire ran off. No. It didn’t, the sound of cracking wood was still hearable, but something was hiding it.  
Shadow went to Wilson’s wrist, he tried to pull away, but two strong shadow hand formed and kept him down. His heart raced in his chest as he saw letter forming in the ripped page. Fist it was confused and odd, but it went clear, and it made Wilson’s blood go ice.

‘You shouldn’t have.’

A shadow formed, darker than all the other. It seemed to be a silhouette, a tall, huge, shadow with long and messy, floating, hair.  
Wilson looked at it forming from the book. It opened two light eyes, okay it wasn’t a normal shadow. First this thing was almost human looking and those eyes were shinning. Not a good shine, the one of a beast ready to attack.  
Wilson backed away only for the shadow hand holding his wrists tier. The shadow looking at his ate all the sanity he had, the hands were taking his stamina away. And it hurt.  
Wilson cried and pulled harder, the hand squeezed his wrist so much that Wilson thought it would dislocate it. He looked around tearing up… No escape… Whispers of the night seemed to be screams in his head. His hands turned purple, he couldn’t feel them anymore. The book, the shadow… Them…

“Please…” he whispered quietly between two sob “I’m sorry, please let me go… I-“ he caught his breath in loud sobs “I won’t do that again… please…”

He repeated it again and again, sobbing loudly. 

“Wilson..?” a tired voice called “Wilson, for fuck sake, the fire!” Maxwell grunted tired and put a log in the dying fire.

When the tall man turned around to catch on the scientist’s presence, he saw a trembling body curled on himself in front of… Codex!  
By a stupid reflex, Maxwell searched in his open vest to found nothing. Of course, because Codex Umbra was right in front of Wilson!  
Maxwell walked to him being angry at Wilson. He approached quickly and stopped in front of the smaller man. He was about to yell at him, but all his anger fell off when he noticed Wilson’s behavior.  
The younger man was curled on himself, his hands on his chest and big tears going down his eyes, he was talking, no, whispering words Maxwell couldn’t understand. He gently set a hand on Wilson’s shoulder, it made the small scientist scream. Maxwell soon noticed Wilson’s lac of sanity and searched in the chest for flowers. He ran back to Wilson and put a garland on him.  
Wilson didn’t calm down. Maxwell gently tried to comfort him and making him drink water, totally useless.  
He took Codex Umbra from the ground to look at what could help in this situation, weirdly it made Wilson calm down. Oh right…  
Maxwell hid his book in his vest and closed it. He gently grabbed the crying scientist in his bed roll and held him close on his chest. He waited until Wilson finished crying and whipped his tears off.  
Wilson took his hands out the roll and looked at them, he tried to speak but nothing got out his throat.

“Take it easy, pal. Doing shadow magic isn’t that simple.” He chuckled

“I wasn’t-“ Wilson managed to say enough loud for Maxwell to hear it.

Maxwell frowned and turned the bed roll so Wilson was sitting on his lap, he grabbed his hands. No mark, he looked at Wilson and at his hands again, they looked hurt though.  
Maxwell frowned being worry about what happened, but he knew Wilson wasn’t able to explain just yet. Poor Wilson, so weak and fragile in Maxwell’s long arms, his pale skin looked like porcelain now. His shinny black orbs were abounded by the red of the tears, almost like he teared up blood.  
The garland was working, Wilson could feel better, but it looked like his colors had melted away. Maxwell looked at his pale cheek that were pinkish when he last closed his eyes. Wilson looked up at him, not even caring about how close and personal they looked, he looked at Maxwell deep eyes and whispered something. Maxwell approached his head to hear it, Wilson didn’t repeat. The tall man pulled his head into Wilson’s neck, hopefully the other had still his odor. Wilson didn’t pull away, he was glad Maxwell was here, he felt safe, so safe in Maxwell’s arms. He tried to close his eyes only to open them while at the sensation he just felt. It didn’t hurt, no, but it was unexpected. Did Maxwell really just kiss his neck?

“M-Max…” he called weakly, shivering a bit as Maxwell pecked another spot of his neck.

Maxwell pulled away from Wilson’s neck and looked away. Wilson smiled a bit as he saw Maxwell’s red face.

“Sorry, Higgsbury. It was the only way to make you surface.” He said frowning and waited for Wilson’s reply. There were none. Maxwell didn’t look at Wilson and searched for an explication. “It’s just… You are so weak right now and I don’t know… I wanted to… I wanted to feel if you were dying, but you are not! You just… You’re alive and I…”

Wilson smiled trying to catch Maxwell’s glare as he explained his dumb excuse.  
When he finally found a proper excuse, he looked at Wilson to know if the other man believed it. Wilson was sleeping, head resting on Maxwell’s shoulder.  
Who was he kidding, Maxwell always had a thing for this dumb scientist. But poor idiot couldn’t affront his own feeling and couldn’t show it property. He just lay down, Wilson still close to him. Maxwell kissed his lovely scientist on the forehead and closed his eyes seeing the sun raising already.

Wilson woke up and looked around him, he didn’t feel wing or cold. He opened his eyes more and tried to understand where he was. He looked over and understood he was in a tent… When did they get a tent?  
He sat up trying to remember what happened. Right, he opened the book and saw that cryptic shadow, then he remembered it disappeared without proper explanation why. He remembered Maxwell’s gentle voice and nothing else.  
He got out the tent, the sun was up in the sky, it was afternoon. He looked over the camp for Maxwell. He frowned when a clone passed to him, but finally saw Maxwell sitting on a chest, reading his book of course. He tried to stand up only to fall down the ground in a loud moan of pain. Maxwell stood up and walked to help Wilson to walk, he sat the small man down by the fire and gave him food.

“Well, how are you feeling?” Maxwell asked.

“Weird… I slightly remember what happened yesterday…”

“And what do you remember anyway?”

Wilson sighed and took a stick on the ground. His hands were trembling, but he managed to draw something. He drew a circle, then a long body.

“I opened the book and this figure appeared, it attacked me and just floated away I suppose…” 

Maxwell looked at Wilson drawing and at the form he did on the ground, God it was awful, but oddly familiar. 

“It attacked you?” 

“Yes…” Wilson sighed.

Maxwell looked at the figure on the ground, the scribbles; that he assumed were hairs; were extremely familiar. As he understood, Wilson opened Codex Umbra and that attacked him. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to put his mind together to remember if it already happened.

“Maxwell…” Wilson called when he saw the other man closed his eyes.

“Yeah?” Maxwell replied with his eyes still close.

“Can I ask you a question?...” 

“Say still.” 

Wilson shallowed and curled on himself. He rubbed his eyes and lean on Maxwell a bit. The other man opened his eyes, his face got colors, but he didn’t say anything.

“How did you… find that book?” 

Maxwell looked in the void, his face pale. This day was the happiest and saddest day of his life.

“Long story…”

“Tell it.” Wilson ordered with a weak voice.

Maxwell looked over to put his thoughts together. Was he supposed to tell everything to Wilson? It would be best but… something of it was wrong for Maxwell, he didn’t wanted Wilson to know all of his story.

“I found it in a train… After it broke… it helped me to be a magician and to go here…”

“Are you telling me… This book is how you… became king? That’s all because of this book?” 

“I… suppose” Maxwell looked away.

Wilson analyzed what he knew. This book is the reason Maxwell was here and so why Wilson was here, something was in it for sure, so this something was the reason they were both here.  
Wilson cringed at the thought that Maxwell was threating the cause of all this mess better than he was threating Wilson.  
But something was exiting Wilson, Max was telling him his backstory. Usually he would grunt at Wilson to mind his own business, but today he looked open to tell.

“Can you… Be more specific on how it happened?” 

Maxwell sighed “I was in a train to go back home and the train broke?”

“Go back home?...” 

Maxwell got himself blushing, shit, he said too much. He let go off Wilson and stood up. Wilson was disappointed, but didn’t ask for more… Still, the only things Maxwell said before about his ‘home’, it was that he didn’t wanted to go back and preferred dying… so why would he said he wanted to go back home now?

The rest of the day was normal, well normal for both of them. Maxwell was looking at two of his clones cut trees while Wilson was busy with his science machine and such.  
Maxwell opened Codex Umbra, he understood why Wilson wanted to know more about it, his book was fascinating. He remembered in the train when he saw it, it was so beautiful through Maxwell’s glasses. When he stood up to walk toward it and the train suddenly broke, but he wasn’t harmed. It almost felt like Codex Umbra protected him. All went so far after this. He became a great magician and left over his old name to a better one, inspired by the book. He talked to everyone, like the book told him too. Maxwell really felt like Codex was someone, a friend, that helped him with everything.  
Then it happened, the day Codex Umbra made Maxwell the ruler. 

Maxwell sighed and get the logs to the camp. 

“Wilson…” He called shyly

“Yes?” Wilson turned to Maxwell.

“Do you… Do you remember… What happened after you got attacked?”

“I heard you… Such as?” 

“And?...” Maxwell blushed 

“And what?”

Maxwell frowned and looked away “N-Nothing…” 

‘told him’ a voice called in Maxwell’s head, a long time he heard it… The last time was before his last show ever.

Wilson looked worry at Maxwell, he opened his mouth to talk but closed it again.

“I-…” Maxwell started and took a time to formulate a proper sentence “You were freaking out… T-To calm you I had to… C-Cuddle with you and.. k-kiss..” He sat down and hid behind his arms.

Wilson didn’t remember that, he blushed bright red. The look of the scene wasn’t bad thought. He smiled shyly. He had a crush on Maxwell since the radio talk, but he though Maxwell manipulated him. He did, of course. But since he was a survivor Wilson’s feeling increased. Even if Maxwell had no feelings for him, Wilson had betrayed himself anyway. It worth a try, isn’t it?

“You didn’t like it..?”

“I- what?-“ Maxwell looked up. Wilson had a deep blush but a malicious smile on his face.

“Maybe I’m freaking out again..” He said looking away. 

Maxwell felt his heart go crazy, he pulled Codex in his vest and walked to Wilson. Oh God, will he really do it?  
Wilson closed his eyes and waited… Nothing…? When he opened his eyes, Maxwell was staring at him, Wilson frowned.

“What?! Stop staring and do something!” 

“B-But what?..” Maxwell asked helpless.

Wilson sighed and walked to Maxwell, he gently pulled his arms around Maxwell waist and pushed his closer. Maxwell responded and put his arm around Wilson. It felt nice.  
Wilson cuddled close to Maxwell’s chest. They both moved until they were on the ground; Wilson’s head was resting in Maxwell’s neck, and Maxwell was practically rounded around his smaller scientist.  
The older finished by falling asleep. Wilson was smiling while but something was bothering him on Maxwell’s chest… the book… He moved and took the book. He didn’t open it but put it on the ground.  
He looked at it closely, still curious. He opened the book to find those blank pages.  
His cheek burned and tears rolled down his face. He just got slapped! This fucking book slapped him!  
He was about to throw it away, but when he grabbed Codex, a tired hand moved around his waist and pushed him down. Wilson blushed as Maxwell tried to spoon him.

“Let’s go to the tent.” Wilson chuckled and gave Maxwell his boo again. Maxwell tiredly nodded, Wilson whipped the tears off his face. The pain was still here but he knew Maxwell would be here to calm his nerves.


End file.
